1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for illuminating work areas such as surgical fields.
2. Description of the Related Art
Medical providers use surgical headlights to illuminate a surgical field. Such headlights are worn on the medical provider's head and may utilize halogen or metal halide light sources, as well as xenon lights, to provide illumination. The Xenon light source may be located on a rack. The light source projects light, via a fiber optic cable, to the headlight system. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) may also be used, providing various advantages over prior illumination methods including reducing the weight, cost, heat, maintenance and discomfort generally associated with the traditional headlight. Drawbacks for these devices include: limited bulb life, excessive cost, fragile fiber optic cables, insufficient illumination, and limited mobility for the user.
Examples of related devices include the 49820 Xenon Surgical Headlight System from WelchAllyn [WelchAllyn, Inc., 4341 State Street Road, Skaneateles Falls, N.Y. 13153-0220 USA]. The device connects a Xenon light source, instead of LEDs, to a headlamp using fiber optic cables. The device is attached to a light source that has limited to no mobility. This constrains the user who is tethered, via the fiber optic cables, to the light source. Unsurprisingly, the fiber optic connection between the lamp and light source is placed under great strain, resulting in reliability issues for the headlight unit. WelchAllyn also supplies the 49020 5 watt LED Procedure Headlight, which utilizes a single 5 watt LED and produces 100 Lumens of white light. In addition, the HALO headlight, by Enova Medical Technologies [1839 Buerkle Road, St. Paul, Minn. 55110 USA], uses two white LEDs and no fiber optic cables. However, the prior art's limited use of LEDs results in brightness that is not optimal, thereby producing less light than more traditional surgical headlights such as Xenon-board devices.
Thus, a need exists for a mobile surgical headlight that utilizes LEDs to lower cost, weight and heat, while still providing light adequate to illuminate the working area.